


Here comes the sun, ddurururu

by down4pizza



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Dancer Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi, Feels, Fluff, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Jihoon is stubborn, Just 10 actually, Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi is Whipped, Lee Jihoon | Woozi Is Bad At Feelings, M/M, Meddling, Musician Lee Jihoon | Woozi, OT11 conspires to get SoonHoon together, Soonyoung is just persistent, indie artist woozi, the fact that those two are real tags I’m—, vernon just vibes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 23:15:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29924334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/down4pizza/pseuds/down4pizza
Summary: Lee Jihoon was a simple man with simple dreams. All he ever wanted was to make music, pay his bills, and optionally maybe hit it big in the indie scene. He could’ve lived his whole life in his dark studio and be sufficiently happy, but the universe (in the form of 11 meddling assholes) decided that Jihoon didn’t know what was best for him.You need some sun, they said. It’ll be fun, they said.So they rudely threw a literal living sunshine at him, and Jihoon suffered.Actually maybe he didn’t hate it as much as he said he did, but nobody needed to know that.
Relationships: Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi/Lee Jihoon | Woozi
Comments: 1
Kudos: 53





	Here comes the sun, ddurururu

**Author's Note:**

> The setup:  
> Jihoon is an indie musician  
> Jeonghan and Jisoo run the indie label he belongs to  
> Seungkwan and Seokmin are his labelmates  
> The rest of Svt belong in a professional dance crew lead by Soonyoung
> 
> Everyone will be mentioned, but not everyone will be getting lines, sorry!

“Ji~hoon~aaaaahhh~,”

Jihoon groaned as he heard a familiar sing-song voice from behind him, too cheerful too early in the morning.

_ Three, two, one, now. _

He took a step and twisted his body, easily evading the incoming backhug. Flailing limbs tumbled past him with a yelp, yet the perpetrator managed to catch their step and not fall flat on the ground somehow.  _ Damn professional dancers and their quick reflexes.  _ If Jihoon was going to suffer in this ungodly hour he might as well get some entertainment out of it. Alas, sometimes things do not go as planned.

“Kwon Soonyoung,” Jihoon hissed. The effects of an all nighter fogged up his brain and his patience was running thinner than usual. “What do you want.”

Soonyoung simply turned around and flashed his 1000 watt grin. “Good morning to you too, Jihoon-ah!”

Seokmin let out a low whistle next to Jihoon. “That was impressive, hyung. Impeccable timing. Ten out of ten for artistic points,” he laughed. Soonyoung bowed deep with a flourish and said, “thank you, thank you. You’re too kind.” “No, I meant the evasive maneuver,” Seokmin deadpanned. “You’re lucky you have fast reflexes, otherwise this would’ve been really embarrassing for you, hyung,” he continued, and Seungkwan snorted out a laugh beside him as Soonyoung pouted. Jihoon felt a headache rising.

_ Murder is illegal. You get into a lot of trouble for murder_ _,_ he reminded himself with a deep inhale,  _ and they’re still your friends. You don’t actually want them dead. Hold your horses, Lee Jihoon. _

He’ll admit (only at gunpoint, probably) that he cares for his friends, sure, but Jihoon couldn’t possibly keep up with them with his meager stamina and patience, and especially with no caffeine jacking up his system. Which reminded him, the coffeeshop was already in sight.  _ Priorities, people. _

Jihoon walked ahead, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets with a grunt. Soonyoung easily fell into step next to him while Seokmin and Seungkwan followed closely behind. Soonyoung, the opportunist that he is, surreptitiously draped an arm over Jihoon’s shoulder and received an elbow jabbed to the ribs in return. Soonyoung is nothing if not persistent, though, so the arm stayed.

“How’s work going, Jihoon-ah? Heard you’re releasing a new album soon?” Soonyoung said. Jihoon looked over his shoulder. Seokmin just smiled, but Seungkwan immediately looked away and avoided his dirty glare.

“‘S alright. Slow.” Jihoon looked ahead again, still scowling. “Not much for coherence, are we?” Soonyoung snickered, reaching towards the coffeeshop door first and holding it open for Jihoon. It was almost sweet, except that Jihoon’s glare shattered any illusions of a sparkly coffeeshop romance. “Shut up. It’s too early,” came the reply. Soonyoung just laughed.

They all paid for coffee, and Jihoon sighed as the blessed elixir passed through his throat and he rose back from the dead. He wriggled his fingers around his warm cup, as if finally regaining control of them.

“Cute,” Soonyoung said, and Jihoon scowled up at him. His brain wasn’t at full capacity yet, so he’d let this one slide.

Soonyoung always managed to get away with too much.

“Alright boys, as much as I’d like to hang out, I gotta go now. Practice starts in fifteen minutes and the dance crew will roast me on a bonfire if I show up even a second late,” Soonyoung said, slowly (almost reluctantly) detaching himself from Jihoon’s side. He was glued to Jihoon the whole time, and the late realization came to Jihoon with a slow blink. The places where Soonyoung had pressed against him felt a touch too chilly, but Jihoon refused to waste precious computing power pondering why that might be.

“What a responsible leader,” Seokmin patted Soonyoung’s shoulder and was rewarded with a grin. “You guys know we’re entering that national championship next month, right?” Soonyoung asked. Seungkwan answered with an enthusiastic nod, “yeah! I told Jeonghanie-hyung about it, and we marked it down in the company calendar and everything so we can clear that day. I’m really looking forward to it.” Jihoon was positive this counted as misuse of company resources, but if the record label boss already approved it (which, of course he did) there’s nothing he could do.  _ It’s tough working with your friends sometimes, _ Jihoon thought,  _ because they would, inadvertently, make your suffering their life’s mission. _ The whole company conspired against him, after all,  the assholes.

Soonyoung laughed and ruffled Seungkwan’s hair. “You’re officially my favorite dongsaeng, Seungkwan-ah. Don’t let Chan hear me say that, though,” he said, and grinned at how Seungkwan pumped a victorious fist in the air. “I gotta go. It’s crunch time now, since the competition is so close. I’ll send you the link to it later, so don’t forget to buy the tickets, alright? The sooner the better.” Seokmin lifted his hand in a mock salute, and Seungkwan parroted him.

“Jihoon-ah?” Jihoon felt eyes on him after a pause. Soonyoung smiled at him, suddenly a touch too gentle and hopeful, making Jihoon squirm a little. “Yeah,” he muttered out, “I’ll be there.” Soonyoung’s grin doubled in brightness and Jihoon felt like he needed to squint to look at it.

Soonyoung disappeared through the door with a wave just as Jihoon snapped out of his thought.

“Not. A. Fucking word,” Jihoon growled as soon as Seungkwan opened his mouth. 

“Wasn’t about to say anything,” Seungkwan shrugged, but he turned to Seokmin and they both giggled.

Jihoon scoffed and walked out of the coffeeshop, leaving the other two to chase after him. They whispered to each other and laughed the whole way back to the studio, and Jihoon cursed his fate. He needed to make more trustworthy friends, he decided.

—

Soonyoung started as a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend. More exactly, Jihoon’s labelmate Seungkwan’s childhood friend Hansol’s college senior Wonwoo’s roommate Jun’s dance captain. Confusing? That was what Jihoon thought too. The connection was too complicated and too far to be considered significant, in Jihoon’s mind. So to Jihoon he was a stranger, even after Soonyoung recruited Wonwoo and Hansol into the dance crew as well and the chain skipped a few links.

But it was chance that brought them together. A few too many instances of “oh, hey, fancy seeing you here,” in grocery stores, restaurants, or just out and about. It happened enough times that at some point Soonyoung’s rank graduated from stranger to acquaintance.

Then Jihoon started being invited (or dragged) to get togethers, and their group of friends gradually merged together into a jumbled mess of ragtag crew. At that point Soonyoung too graduated from an acquaintance to a friend.

Jihoon was never the social type, always preferring the company of a select few, fiercely loyal companions. So seeing his number social interactions climb up to the double digits was... new. Jihoon even introduced Seungcheol, one such old loyal friend, to the group and Soonyoung recruited him too. 

So now Jihoon had twelve friends instead of five, which, he didn’t ever predict his life to be as crowded as it was now, but he considered it an improvement.

Except for one aspect.

He didn’t know when it started, but by the time he noticed it, chance had manifested itself in flesh. Specifically, in the form of eleven meddlesome brats. Too many times he ended up being shoved together next to Soonyoung, or being asked leading questions, followed by the wiggling of eyebrows or clearly directed giggles. If given the opportunity, Jihoon would really love to (and he has, on several occasions) smack each one of his friends up the head.

“Sorry,” Soonyoung had told him with an easy laugh one day, “I can’t control these idiots either. Don’t mind them.”

But Jihoon wasn’t blind. Always a keen observer, he was always hyper aware of how other people perceived him. He noticed how Soonyound’s gaze often lingered on him, and how he always smiles a little brighter when he and Jihoon were inadvertently smooshed together at the corner of the table.

So Jihoon always protested, sure, but he never moved away either.

—

A week later Jihoon was in the studio, peacefully editing his latest recording, when suddenly the door slammed open. “What the fu—“ Jihoon jumped in his seat and turned towards the trespasser.

“Get up, we’re getting lunch,” Jisoo said, sounding a little too cheerful after nearly triggering Jihoon’s heart attack. Looking back, Jihoon should’ve seen the red flag right there.

“Wh- what?” Jihoon spluttered. Jisoo reached over to the keyboard, pausing the music from the speakers before replying, “I said we’re gonna go get lunch. Come on!”

Jihoon blinked in disbelief. “You scared the shit out of me, just to ask about  _ lunch_?” He said indignantly. “I wasn’t asking,” Jisoo replied easily, grabbing Jihoon’s jacket and tossing it on his lap. “We’re going. Outside. To get lunch. Right now. Not a question, not a request.”

Jihoon rolled his eyes. “Just order delivery as usual. Besides, I’m not hungry yet,” he said, crossing his arms.

“You need food whether or not you’re hungry. You’ve been stuck in here since last night,” Jisoo replied.

“I did sleep. And have breakfast. Not hungry,” Jihoon said stubbornly.

“You need fresh air—“

“This place is sufficiently ventilated.”

“You need to move around.”

“There’s a treadmill in the basement. That I use everyday.”

“You need sunlight, Jihoon-ah.”

“I’m not a plant. Sunlight is just gonna give you early wrinkles, you know.”

“We’re going to that burger place you like. My treat. I’m not gonna bring back any if you don’t come along.”

Jihoon felt his resolve waver.

“Why do you suddenly care so much if I go out or not anyway?” Jihoon asked, squinting his eyes at Jisoo. “You were perfectly fine with takeout fried rice yesterday.”

“Because,” Jisoo sighed, a little too dramatically. “It’s my job as the company manager to keep our artists alive and thriving. I’m just trying to be better at my job, is that so hard to believe? Plus, you’re my friend. I just want the best for you, Jihoon-ah.”

Jihoon glared and considered him for a moment. 

“Fine,” he finally relented, pushing his suspicions to the wayside. He figured a short break and a free meal couldn’t hurt. Jihoon would come to regret this decision in due time because, as would be established later, Hong Jisoo was not to be trusted.

“But I want that large one with bacon and double patty. And large fries,” he added. 

“I thought you said you weren’t hungry,” Jisoo replied, unimpressed. Jihoon just shrugged, saying, “take it or leave it.”

“Deal,” Jisoo said with a roll of his eyes, and dragged Jihoon up and out of the stuffy studio.

Jihoon realized he’d walked into a trap as soon as he set foot inside the burger joint.

His eyes instantly locked onto Soonyoung, sitting at the end of the table with the rest of his dance crew. He had a muscle tank on and his hair was damp and messy. Jihoon belatedly registered that they must be on break from practicing. The fact that the dance studio was twenty minutes away on foot was another evidence of foul play. Soonyoung stopped mid-chew, and they both stared blankly at each other for a moment.

Jisoo seized that opportunity to steer Jihoon towards the table. “Heyyy you guys, what a coincidence seeing you here,” he said. It sounded casual, but Jihoon knew him well enough to detect the blatant lie that lurked underneath. Jisoo looked at him with a (fake fake fake fake) innocent smile, but the shameless grins Mingyu and Seungcheol threw him were only further confirmation. Jisoo, for all his charm and cunning, needed to pick better conspirators if he wanted to fool Jihoon.

“You guys wanna sit with us?” Hansol offered good naturedly.  _ Ah, an innocent bystander. _ His intentions seemed pure, so Jihoon would forgive him, he decided. All the others were dead to him. But of course, the only seats available were at the end, where Soonyoung was.

“Only if you don’t mind! Why don’t you sit down, Jihoon-ah. I got your order covered,” Jisoo said and winked before he walked to the cashier.  _ A wink! The gall of this man! Whoever called him and Jeonghan angels needed to get their eyes checked_, Jihoon cursed inwardly, but he sighed and took the seat next to Soonyoung anyway.

Soonyoung finally finished chewing and swallowed. “Wasn’t expecting to see you out and about in broad daylight,” he teased, sounding more than a little amused. “Oh trust me,” Jihoon replied, still glaring daggers in Jisoo’s direction, “I wasn’t expecting it either.” Soonyoung laughed. “I don’t doubt you,” he said.

Not a minute later Jisoo walked over with their food. He placed Jihoon’s burger, fries, and coke down before walking away, because of course an empty seat had conveniently manifested itself between Seungcheol and Minghao at the other end. He was surrounded by enemies on all sides. Jihoon glowered as he took a big bite out of his burger.

Soonyoung’s eyes never really left him. It felt like a ghost of a touch, almost like an itch. It was just a barely there gaze and Jihoon wanted nothing more than to scratch at it or swat it away. But he ignored it, instead revelling in the way goosebumps crawl up his arms. He finished his food in record time.

“Damn. Do they starve you in there or something? You’re like a vacuum cleaner, man. It’s kinda scary,” Soonyong said, looking at Jihoon’s empty tray with sheer fascination. “Gotta get back to work fast,” Jihoon said, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

Soonyoung suddenly reached out to swipe at his cheek.

The contact felt like electricity, and Jihoon smacked his hand away. The itch was gone. 

“Sorry,” Soonyoung grinned, “you still have ketchup there. What are you, five?”

Jihoon scrubbed his cheeks and chin furiously with the napkin.

Soonyoung glanced at his wristwatch. “Is everyone done?” He called out. “Lunch break is over, we need to move out.” At that the dance crew immediately gathered their things and stood up. Jihoon didn’t move, opting to sip at his soda instead.

“Alright, I’ll see you around, Jihoon-ah,” Soonyoung said as he too stood up. Jihoon felt a warm pressure at his back and scarcely registered that it was Soonyoung’s hand. The skin there burned. He was barely able to grunt out an affirmative, and then the hand was lifted. Soonyoung was gone the next second.

After the group left Jihoon turned to glare at Jisoo, who leaned his head on his hand and smiled sweetly at Jihoon. “I hope you know how childish this is,” Jihoon glowered.

“Oh, I know,” Jisoo said, and Jihoon really wanted to strangle him. “But you’re the kid that won’t own up to his feelings, so really, you’re the one not giving me any other choice here.”

Jihoon buried his face on the table, feeling Jisoo’s aggravating smirk on him. “I hate you,” he muttered, and Jisoo laughed. 

_ Rude. _

—

Jihoon sank back into the car seat with a frown. Jeonghan was driving, and Jisoo was talking into his phone in the back seat. Jihoon rubbed his eyes tiredly, having spent all of his energy on stage not even an hour ago. It was a quick gig, a last minute thing Jisoo managed to squeeze into his schedule. The event itself was high profile enough, and Jihoon did have a good time, but now he just wanted to go home.

“Hyung, I really just wanna go home,” he groaned.

“Don’t be like that,” Jeonghan replied easily, not taking his eyes off the road. “You’ve been under so much stress lately! This is a perfectly good chance to loosen up a little.” 

“I don’t need to loosen up,” Jihoon rolled his eyes, “and especially not in a club.” 

“Hmm, I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Jeonghan said in a sing-song tone. Jihoon squinted his eyes, already suspicious. “Okay, what is it do you know that I don’t? Spit it out.” Jeonghan pouted in response, saying, “is it so hard to believe that I can have pure intentions too sometimes?” 

“Yes,” Jihoon deadpanned. “I don’t get why you keep dragging me out anyway. I thought music label CEOs are supposed to keep their artists from partying or having a social life or something. I knew you were a sham, hyung. I’m filing for contract termination tomorrow,” he said dryly. It was Jeonghan’s turn to roll his eyes now. “Just give it a try, Jihoon-ah. Just stay for a while, get a few beers, maybe dance a little. Okay?” And that was that.

The club was a stampede waiting to happen.

It was a large one, to be fair, but Jihoon was sure they were at least fifty people over the fire hazard limit, and he lost both Jeonghan and Jisoo to the crowd not even five minutes in. Getting to the bar proved to be a ridiculously difficult task. While his pride usually didn’t allow him to think about it, it was at times like this that he really wished for that extra inch or two. There was no moving anywhere without risking an elbow to the face or his toes getting crushed under someone’s stiletto heels. Scowling, he ordered a beer and told the bartender to put it under Jeonghan’s tab.

He did try to enjoy himself, for Jeonghan’s sake, at least, but not even half an hour went by before he said  fuck it and gave up. The music battered his head like jackhammer, and he kept bumping into people as he tried to disorientedly make his way around the club. His chronic sleep deprivation certainly wasn’t helpful either, detrimental to both his limb coordination and patience. The air tasted sour and bitter, and Jihoon worried he might end up murdering the next person who crashed into him.

He ordered one last beer before he waded through the ocean of sweaty bodies and eventually stumbled out past the bouncers. Even through the door, the music still shook through his body all the way to his bones. Jihoon was desperate to just not be touched for once, by bodies, voices, by space, everything.

He growled in frustration as he started walking away, round a corner to a quieter stretch of road. He was about to take off when, suddenly faced with an empty street, he felt his whole body grow heavy. He groaned and sank down on the curb.

Sufficiently, but still not ideally quiet, he finally took in a deep inhale and let his shoulders drop.

He’d barely caught his breath when he heard footsteps coming around the corner behind him, and a voice calling his name. Jihoon clenched his teeth, readying himself to yell several rude expletives at the intruder and also possibly threats of bloodshed, just as he turned around and met Soonyoung’s eyes. He blinked slowly as the words, and the fury, died on the tip of his tongue.

“What the hell, it’s just you,” Jihoon sighed, and Soonyoung just replied with a good natured laugh. He moved to sit down, and Jihoon scooted to make space before the action registered in his brain.

Curiously, the heat radiating from Soonyoung’s body next to him felt soothing, and oddly welcomed, in contrast to all the other bodies he encountered that night. Their knees bump, but Jihoon thought it’d be best not to think about their proximity right now. It felt... a little too intimate, almost. Jihoon wasn’t ready to read into it.

“Great show back there, you killed it,” Soonyoung said as he settled down. 

Jihoon blinked slowly. “What, you were there?” He asked, slightly taken aback. “Of course! Jeonghanie-hyung told me about it, and then he said that you’d be here” Soonyoung beamed, a bit too brightly under the dim street lights.

_ Of course he did_ _,_ Jihoon scoffed inwardly. _Pure intentions my ass._ “Thanks,” he muttered anyway.

“Great setlist, too. The third song, that was new, right? I mean, I know it’s not in any of your previous releases, at least.” Soonyoung added. Leave it to him to remember details like that. 

“Yeah,” Jihoon replied, trying to keep his tone neutral. “Is it gonna go on your new album?” Soonyoung asked. “Possibly,” Jihoon shrugged, “but I’ll probably make some more changes before the release.” 

Soonyoung grinned all the way to his ears at that. “Whoa, I just got an exclusive preview, then. Nice. That makes me ten times happier that I came today.”

He pulled his phone out, fumbled to open the gallery, and flipped it towards Jihoon. He’d recorded part of Jihoon’s performance from earlier. He was standing pretty close to the stage, it seemed, and Jihoon wondered how he didn’t see him. 

The video was shaky at best, and the audio quality was atrocious. Yet Jihoon could hear Soonyoung’s voice too as he cheered, and he sounded so... genuinely happy. Jihoon’s heart leapt to his throat. “Glad to know you had fun, at least,” he muttered instead, taking a sip of his beer to distract himself. 

“Had fun?” Soonyoung balked, as if Jihoon had just insulted his own performance. “Understatement of the century! I would’ve been so mad if I missed that. It was...” he paused for a second. “It was a  _ moment_,” he said decisively, as if coming to a conclusion, and pocketed his phone back. “It was incredible! I got chills, I swear. You basically blew everyone away. I feel kinda bad for the band that went before you did. Everyone kinda forgot about them after you came on.”

Jihoon snorted. “Flatterer,” he said, but his lips curled up a little at that.

“I’m not! I’m telling you, it was magic. Oh, and I saw that article too,” Soonyoung said with the excitement of an eight year old, “number one in top ten up and rising indie artists, was it? Look at you! You’re going places, Jihoon-ah! The venue was full too today, right?”

“It wasn’t just me playing today, stupid,” Jihoon said as he took another sip, and blamed the drink for the heat in his face. Soonyoung always was too generous with his words.

Jihoon’s eyes went to Soonyoung’s empty hands. He gestured at them with his bottle and asked, “not drinking?”

“Can’t,” Soonyoung replied sheepishly, “early practice tomorrow.”

“You shouldn’t even be here then. It’s getting really late,” Jihoon said, raising an eyebrow. “I thought you said it’s crunch time, don’t tell me you’ve been skimping on practice. Hell, you shouldn’t even be in this area, it’s really far from the practice studio, right?”

“I know,” Soonyoung replied, scratching the back of his neck and avoiding Jihoon’s gaze. “I don’t skimp, I promise. I just... wanted to show up for you.”

Jihoon’s brain short-circuited.

“You’re right, though,” Soonyoung said as he stood up and stretched high over his head. His fitted tee rode up and Jihoon almost didn’t look away in time. “I really should get going. Come on, I brought my car today. I’ll give you a ride.”

“Oh,” Jihoon replied dumbly. “But my place is out of the way from here.”

“I know. You look tired though, we should get you home soon,” Soonyoung said. He didn’t look like he was in a much better condition himself, with dark eyebags and skin already crossing the threshold from dewy to greasy. “Besides, it’s not that far of a detour. You can even sleep on the way. I won’t complain, I promise.”

Jihoon stared up at him. “My guitar,” he blurted. “My equipments. They’re all in the company van. Jeonghanie-hyung drove me here.”

“We can move them to my car.”

“They won’t fit. I have amps and everything.”

“Can’t he just drop it off at your place tomorrow?”

_ Yes. _

“No,” Jihoon said. “Thanks but I, I’m just gonna wait for him.”

The smile never left Soonyoung’s lips, but Jihoon didn’t miss the disappointment that flashed in his eyes. “Alright, if you’re sure,” he said, shrugging his shoulders and letting them sag. “See you, Jihoon-ah.”

Just like that, Jihoon was alone again.

Where earlier he’d craved for it, the silence now suffocated him, mocked him. He let out a shaky breath as he slumped down, head on his knees, his guts twisting. Unease buried its claws in his chest and Jihoon was so, so tired. 

For a while everything was silent except for the faint thumping of bass drum from the club and the occassional car passing by the larger adjacent road.

Jihoon eventually sat up, having calmed down somewhat. He’d had lots of regrets in his life, he figured. He could live with one more. He scrubbed his face with one hand and drained the rest of his beer, before he pulled out his phone and called for a taxi.

—

It was nine p.m. when Jihoon heard a knock on his studio door. He swiveled his chair and saw Seokmin’s face sticking in through the opened door.

“Hyung, we’re leaving now. Are you gonna stay late today?” He asked. Jihoon glanced back to his computer screen for a brief second before shaking his head. “There’s just a little bit left to do for today,” he said.

“Well, okay. Just make sure your ‘a little bit’ isn’t actually five hours, okay?” Seokmin said, and Jihoon rolled his eyes. “Soonyoungie-hyung’s dance competition is tomorrow, don’t forget. We’re meeting up at 12. Don’t be late!” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Jihoon replied as he waved his hand at Seokmin, already turning back to his work. He didn’t mention the five reminders in his phone for the occasion.

He heard Seokmin chuckle, “alright, see you tomorrow then, hyung. Go home soon!” Before the door clicked shut.

Another hour passed by with the only sounds heard being the rapid clicking of the mouse and the same section of a song being played again and again and again. Jihoon was completely immersed in his work, almost in a trance, until suddenly his phone vibrated on the table. Only once at first, but another one soon followed, and then several more in quick succession.

Jihoon growled in annoyance as he picked it up. He froze when he saw the name flashing on the screen.

_ 12 new messages from Kwon Soonyoung _

_ >jihoonah _  
_ >what r u doingggg >3< _  
_ >i just finished practice _  
_ >just got home _  
_ >did u eat? _  
_ >u forgot didnt u ∑( ﾟ Д ﾟ ) _  
_ >nooo dont forget to eat (´ ； ω ； `) _  
_ >i had a sandwich _  
_ >it was ok (*´-`) _  
_ >lee jihoon  _  
_ >jihoonahjihoonahjihoonah _  
_ >jiiiihooooonniiiiiiiiiiiieeee ( ´ △ ｀ ) _

The phone vibrated again in his hands, when he was still processing the messages.

_ >shit ur still working arent u _  
_ >sry didnt mean to bother u _  
_ >imjus _  
_ >im just really nervous _  
_ >nevermind just ignore me _  
_ >sorry _

Jihoon bit down on his lip, unsure fingers hovering over the keyboard. He finally sighed and typed,

_ >>ur gonna be fine _  
_ >>u guys worked hard _

There was a long pause, even after Jihoon was sure Soonyoung had read his reply. He kept chewing on his lip as his heartbeat steadily rose.

Then it went into overdrive when the reply came.

_ >is it ok if i call? _

Jihoon replied with a  _ sure _ before he could stop himself, and sure enough, Soonyoung called, not missing a beat.

“Hey,” Jihoon said. “Hey yourself,” Soonyoung replied, chuckling awkwardly. “Look, I, um. Sorry. I hope I’m not interrupting anything?” 

“You’re not,” Jihoon said as he stood up from his chair and dumped himself onto the small couch by the door. “I just finished for today.”

Soonyoung hesitated. “You sure?” He muttered, and Jihoon hated how small he sounded. “Yes, I’m sure,” Jihoon said.

There was a long silence, and that worried Jihoon. “Hey,” he said, a little carefully, “are you okay?”

“Yes. Yeah, I’m okay, yes,” Soonyoung replied with a shaky laugh. “I just, well, I haven’t been this nervous in a long time, I guess.”

Jihoon completely understood that feeling. “How can I help?”

“Oh,” Soonyoung sounded taken aback, a little. “Uh, is it okay if we just... talk?”

So they talked. About the unexpectedly delicious kimbab Jihoon had for dinner, about Jun’s new cat that he wouldn’t shut up about, Hansol’s new socks that he bought especially for the competition, the new ramen shop that opened across Jihoon’s studio, about the weather tomorrow, and about the bbq party they were planning after the competition.

“Oh, crap,” Soonyoung said suddenly, “it’s almost midnight.” Jihoon glanced at the wall clock and blinked. “Huh, so it is,” he mumbled.

Soonyoung cursed again, saying, “you’re still in the studio, right?” “Uh-huh.” “Crap. Sorry I held you up. I should’ve waited for you to get home first.” “It’s fine,” Jihoon said, but he felt a yawn rise through his throat and he stifled it. 

“Still, I feel kinda bad. Sor-“ “Soonyoung,” Jihoon cut him off firmly, “it’s fine. Stop apologizing. If anything, I’m glad you texted me instead of stewing in nerves the whole night. Trust me, I did that. Zero out of ten, would not recommend.”

Soonyoung laughed at that. “Okay. Thanks,” he said, and Jihoon could hear the grin in his voice again. “Good,” he huffed, satisfied. “I do need to go home though, and you need to sleep. Right now.” 

Soonyoung snickered. “Yes sir,” he said, and then a little more softly, “I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”

An image of Soonyoung’s too gentle face flashed in Jihoon’s mind, rosy cheeks rising into a hopeful smile, and Jihoon was suddenly too aware of the closeness between them, even through the phone. He jerked back as if he could physically back away, and stuttered, “r-right. Yeah.”

“Okay,” came the breathy response. “I’ll go sleep now. Get home safe, okay? Good night Jihoon-ah.”

“Night,” Jihoon stammered dumbly, and only came back to himself as the tone of the terminated call beeped in his ear. He sat there slumped on the couch for a while, mind racing and heartbeat galloping almost as fast.

His phone buzzed.

_> get home safe jihoonah >3< _

And then a little while later,

_> thank you_

Jihoon stared.  _ Np _ , he replied after a minute, and he sighed. He stood up, shakily turned off his computer, slung his jacket over his shoulders, and walked out of the chilly studio.

—

Jihoon arrived thirty minutes early to the competition venue. 

He looked down, reading Jisoo’s texts and frowned a little.

_ >jeonghan just picked us up _  
_ >we’re close but traffic is pretty bad _  
_ >not gonna be late i think _  
_ >we might be cutting it close tho _

Jihoon sighed. His limbs were full of restless energy, so he walked— to nowhere in particular, but he couldn’t stay still. He strolled past groups of chattering attendees, past the media crew entrance, and round a corner, where he spotted a vending machine in a rather empty area. He sighed, reached for his wallet and walked over to it.

He slipped a few coins in and selected a canned coffee. Just as a loud clang announced the arrival of his beverage he heard a familiar “oh,” behind him.

He turned around to see Soonyoung, all flushed and wide eyed.

“Oh,” Jihoon echoed, equally startled, and after a moment burst into a laugh.

“Why do I always bump into you in the most random places? How does that even work anyway?” He managed to say through shaking breaths. Soonyoung had also begun laughing. “How should I know?” He said in between giggles. “Well, to be fair, we sort of planned to meet here anyway? So it’s not exactly random.” 

“I guess,” Jihoon shrugged, with the last huffs of laughter trailing behind. He took out his coffee and stepped aside so Soonyoung could get his drink.

“Is it okay for you to be out? Shouldn’t you be stretching or something?” Jihoon said as he sipped from his can and blanched. It was way too sweet. “It’s fine. We’ve been doing nothing but stretches this past hour. I just wanted some sugar,” Soonyoung said, waving the same can of coffee at Jihoon. “It’s better here than being stuck in there with all the buzz around, anyway.”

“If you say so,” Jihoon replied, “Wouldn’t want you to get a cramp, or something.”

“Aw, are you worried about me, Jihoon-ah?” Soonyoung teased, and Jihoon shot him a withering stare. Soonyoung threw his head back laughing at that. “Alright, alright,” he said, holding up his hands. He leaned against the vending machine and popped open his can. “We’ll be fine, don’t worry.”

They drank together in silence for a little while. Jihoon bit on his lip, hesitating, before asking, “how are you feeling?”

The smile Soonyoung gave him was positively blinding. “Much better, thanks to you,” he said, and Jihoon felt the tips of his ears heat up. Oblivious, Soonyoung continued, “I’m not, like, completely zenned out like Minghao is— I don’t know how the kid does it— but at least I don’t feel like throwing up every five minutes.”

“That’s good,” Jihoon mumbled. “How are the others?”

“Mostly pretty good,” Soonyoung replied. “Someone from another team was close to a nervous breakdown earlier. I think that weirdly calmed us down a little, seeing someone else more nervous than we are.” 

“Ah,” Jihoon nodded, “I get that. You heard the story about how Seokmin nearly vomitted from stress before my first solo show, right?” Soonyoung nearly choked as he laughed, and Jihoon smiled. “Yeah, that got me super calm afterwards. It was really bizarre,” Jihoon said.

Jihoon’s eyes suddenly went to Soonyoung’s hair and he reached his hand up before he could stop himself. Soonyoung silently lowered his head to allow Jihoon easier access. He paused, hesitating just for a brief moment, before he carded his fingers in Soonyoung’s hair.

“Is there not a single person in your team that knows how to use a hair straightener? Or even heard of hairspray before?” Jihoon huffed as he tried to shake Soonyoung’s hair out of his eyes. He was like a fretting mother hen and he felt utterly ridiculous. Maybe some of the nerves had transferred over to him, he thought.

Soonyoung snorted aloud at that. “Nope,” he said, grinning. “It’s fine, we’re gonna be wearing hats anyway.” At that exact moment Soonyoung looked up, and Jihoon’s heart stopped. Their faces were too close together with Soonyoung’s head bowed. Jihoon abruptly dropped his hand. 

Soonyoung sighed before he slowly straightened back up. The silence that followed stretched on for a beat too long. Jihoon was about to say something else, anything to break the gripping silence, but Soonyoung beat him to it.

“Hey, Jihoon-ah.” Jihoon looked up at Soonyoung’s face. He was blushing. 

“Can I have a kiss, for good luck?”

Jihoon felt his whole face spontaneously combust. “What? N-no!” He blurted out, a little harsher than he’d intended it to sound. “Right, sorry,” Soonyoung laughed, but he didn’t meet Jihoon’s eyes. “Sorry, just ignore me. It was the jitters talking.” 

Jihoon opened his mouth to reply, but he caught sight of Chan jogging lightly towards them. So he clamped his lips together and took a deep inhale, willing the heat in his face to dissipate faster.

“Oh, hey Jihoonie-hyung,” Chan called with a grin, and Jihoon waved back at him. “What took you so long,” Chan huffed and smacked Soonyoung’s back as soon as he got close enough. Soonyoung whined and pouted, mumbling, “ow, rude.” “Come on, we really should be standing by. Everyone was looking for you,” Chan grumbled. 

Soonyoung just sighed. “Alright, alright,” he muttered before he drained the rest of his drink and tossed the empty can into the trash bin. “Later, Jihoon-ah,” he said, and followed Chan back towards the backstage entrance.

“Soonyoung-ah,” Jihoon called out, surprising even himself. Soonyoung stopped to turn back at him, wide eyed. 

Jihoon took a deep breath. “You’re gonna do great out there,” he said finally, conviction in his voice.

Soonyoung smiled at him then, with just a little too much tenderness that sent Jihoon’s heart galloping. Soonyoung stretched out his fist towards Jihoon, before he turned and walked on.

—

The competition started.

Jihoon was seated at the end of a row, with Seungkwan gripping his wrist tightly at his other side.

“Ow, ow,” he winced when Seungkwan’s nails dug into his skin. “Relax, won’t you? You’re gonna crush my hand at this rate,” he said, prying Seungkwan’s fingers off. “Sorry, hyung. But everyone’s so good, what the hell,” Seungkwan said, his hand going over his mouth instead, moving to bite his nails. Jisoo smacked his hand away and Seungkwan frowned. 

“It’s a national level championship, of course only the best are here,” Jihoon said. “Still, I can’t help being nervous on behalf of the guys,” Seokmin piped up from the opposite end, and Seungkwan nodded vigorously, vindicated.

Jihoon was about to clap back, but he was cut off by the sudden boom of the emcee’s voice. “Alright, up next is a crowd favorite! I’m sure you’ve all been waiting for them, right? Now give it up for... the Tiger Eyes!”

Seungkwan whooped loudly as the audience erupted into cheers, and Jihoon suddenly felt stones weighing down his entire body. He really wasn’t in a position to say anything to Seungkwan. He struggled against it and sat up straight, eyes fixed onto the pitch black stage.

When the spotlight turned on, it shone on Soonyoung, standing at the head of the formation. Jihoon briefly noted that he could still easily recognize Soonyoung from afar, even under the bucket hat that covered half of his face.

Soonyoung’s lips curled into a smirk.

The music started, and Jihoon drowned. 

The world slowed down. There was nothing else but the steady thumping of the beat, and Soonyoung’s swift, precise movements in Jihoon’s eyes. 

People sometimes remarked to Jihoon that he was born to be on stage. Sometimes Jihoon agreed, to some extent. Seeing Soonyoung now, though, Jihoon really thought he had no right to such a claim. Soonyoung looked... alive. Alive and thriving, genuinely happy and truly at home. _This is what it truly looks like to be born for the stage,_ Jihoon thought. He oozed confidence and sheer power, and Jihoon drank him in. 

He was intoxicating.

The audience’s cheers melted together into a muted buzzing noise, and Jihoon could barely even feel Seungkwan shaking his shoulders in excitement. He didn’t dare blink. It felt like drowning, but Jihoon had no intentions to escape.

His eyes locked on Soonyoung through the first song, then the second, then the third, nearing the finale. The minutes flew by like nothing.

Soonyoung leapt into the air one last time, and Jihoon’s heart stopped.

He froze while the crowd exploded in cheers and deafening applause around him.

The crew relaxed from their last pose, then bowed. They clambered to exit and Jihoon almost missed the way Soonyoung collapsed into Jun’s arms, just after the dancers stepped off stage. Almost.

“Oh no,” Jihoon paled. He jumped up from his seat and began making his way through the crowd towards the exit, ignoring Seungkwan calling after him.

He saw an ambulance drove away, sirens blaring, just as he reached the backstage entrance. “Chan!” He yelled out as soon as he spotted the boy. Jihoon ran up to him and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him hard.

“Hyung—“ “What happened. Where’s Soonyoung? Is he alright—,” “Jihoon-ah, calm down!” Jisoo yanked his arms away from Chan, breathing hard. The rest of the group came running after him. “What the hell, hyung, you scared us!” Seungkwan piped, still panting. Jihoon ignored him.

“Chan. What happened to Soonyoung. Where is he,” Jihoon demanded, clenching his fists. His mind was running a mile a minute, and he needed answers now.

“I— I don’t know,” Chan answered, his voice quivering. Only then did Jihoon notice Chan’s trembling shoulders. “He was in a lot of pain when we finished. His left leg, I think. Wonwoo-hyung and Hansolie-hyung rode in the ambulance with him. The rest are still inside.” 

“What? He’s injured?” Jeonghan balked, “but I didn’t see anything go wrong!” “Me neither,” Seokmin nodded as he pulled Chan into a hug, stroking his back soothingly.

“That last tumble,” Jihoon half whispered, “it was a bad landing.”

“I’m going to the hospital,” Jihoon said. It wasn’t up for debate. 

“Okay. I’ll drive you. I’ll come back for you guys later, okay?” Jeonghan said. “Okay, hyung,” Seungkwan replied, rubbing Chan’s arm. Jisoo and Seokmin nodded.

Jihoon pulled Jeonghan’s arm, and they ran.

—

The traffic only got worse on the way to the hospital. Jihoon was boiling in his seat the whole time.

Eventually they arrived and Jihoon took off from the car in full speed immediately. A text from Wonwoo had told him that Soonyoung was moved out of the ER and into a room.

Jihoon ran up three flights of stairs in record time, not bothering to wait for the elevator. He ran past a group of nurses who scolded him to slow down, and almost ran into another one. Then he found the room and stopped right in front of the door. He hesitated.

He stood there for a minute, his breathing slowing down while his mind raced even faster.

Eventually he inhaled deep and knocked.

Wonwoo opened the door and let him in. His eyes directly went to the bed, where Soonyoung laid down. He was already clad in a hospital gown and he had his left foot hung up in a cast. “Hey there,” Soonyoung called with a tired smile, “how did you get here so quickly?”

Jihoon couldn’t reply.

He saw Wonwoo silently pull Hansol out of the room from the corner of his eye, and Jihoon heard the door click behind them.

He walked up to the bed slowly, awkwardly. Soonyoung’s eyes never left him.

“How... how do you feel?” Jihoon finally managed to croak out. “Not great,” Soonyoung shrugged, “but better. They gave me painkillers so it doesn’t hurt as much now.”

Jihoon nodded, and his eyes went to Soonyoung’s foot. “What happened?”

“I messed up my last tumble. Who the hell knows how that happened,” Soonyoung snorted. “They said I tore my tendon. I’ll have to go into surgery after the swelling comes down a little, probably tomorrow or in two days.” Jihoon winced.

“Surgery,” he echoed, feeling bile rise up to his throat. His hands found the railing of the hospital bed and he squeezed it hard, desperately grounding himself. “So it’s... bad, then?” “Kinda,” Soonyoung shrugged, before he flinched at a sudden surge of pain. Jihoon willed himself not to move. 

“I won’t be able to walk properly for two months, maybe more. I’ll need to use crutches. Then I have to do some physical therapy, too. I’ll be out of commission until then, I guess.” He sounded calm. Too calm even, like he was just reciting a grocery list. Jihoon wanted to smack Soonyoung for that, but he gritted his teeth instead. 

Soonyoung must’ve noticed the alarm in Jihoon’s eyes, though, because he quickly added, “it’s fine, though! They said that it’s a pretty common injury, and with proper care there should be no permanent damage at all.”

Jihoon blinked. “You sure?” He asked, and Soonyoung nodded. 

Jihoon finally let out the breath he’d been holding. He slowly let his fingers uncurl, feeling the strength drain from them, and sank down crouching by the bed, silently muttering a “thank goodness,” under his breath.

“Jihoon-ah?” Soonyoung called when Jihoon didn’t come back up. He sounded worried. “You okay?” 

“No,” Jihoon snapped back. His voice sounded broken even to his own ears, and there was a pause.

“Jihoon-ah, come up here? Please?” Soonyoung called gently and Jihoon felt fingers barely brushing the top of his head. Jihoon allowed himself another long breath before he shakily stood up. 

“Were you that worried about me?” Soonyoung asked, no,  _ teased _ , and Jihoon’s patience snap.

“Of course I fucking was, asshole!” Jihoon yelled, the dam finally breaking and a million thoughts and emotions flooded him all at once. He ignored Soonyoung’s look of utter shock and bulldozed on, “I didn’t know how bad it was! You had to be carried in a fucking ambulance, for fuck’s sake. You could be dying for all I know!”

“Well, the ambulance was a bit of an overreaction—“

“Shut up,” Jihoon snarled. His whole body was shaking. “Do you have any fucking idea how scared I was? Huh? The whole damn time I just kept thinking what if...” he choked back a sob, “what if you couldn’t dance anymore? I didn’t wanna think about it but... what if? It fucking terrified me. Shit.” He rubbed at his eyes furiously, drying the tears before they had the chance to fall.

Soonyoung took his hand and rubbed it gently, comforting him as if he was the one with his foot in a cast. Jihoon couldn’t look at him. “It was your life,” Jihoon whispered weakly. “I don’t know what— I... I can’t imagine it, you not dancing anymore. I was so fucking scared.”

“Hey. Hey, it’s okay, Jihoon-ah. It’s okay” Soonyoung whispered gently, “I’m okay.”

Jihoon pressed his fingertips against Soonyoung’s palm, assuring himself of his presence.

“Sorry for worrying you,” Soonyoung said. “You fucking better be,” Jihoon growled back, but the bite wasn’t there. Soonyoung laughed softly. 

“Thank you,” he said.

Jihoon didn’t pull his hand away.

“I hope you enjoyed the show, at least,” Soonyoung grinned. “We worked really hard on it. I felt a little bad for ruining it for the kids— ah, don’t worry. Wonwoo gave me a stern talking earlier. No blaming myself allowed. But there’ll always be the lingering regrets, you know? What do you think?”

Jihoon considered his reply for a while. “It was, as you say, a  _ moment_.” 

Soonyoung snorted, and a moment later he laughed. Loudly, brightly, properly laughed. Jihoon allowed himself to drink in the sound, and his lips began to curl up. He felt a little bolder. “It was incredible.  _ You _ were incredible,” he said, not fleeing from Soonyoung’s gaze for once. “I hope you get good results anyway, regardless of... this.”

“Yeah, well, let’s just hope. I knew I needed that extra piece of good luck,” he heard Soonyoung say with a quiet laugh, and he felt a sudden stab through his chest. He looked away.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, his face going up in flames. 

Soonyoung’s grin dropped to the floor as his eyes widened. He scrambled to sit up, but he crashed back down with a wince when he jostled his foot. “Wait, no, no, no,” he panicked, “I didn’t say that to make you feel bad. Shit, I’m sorry. Forget I said that, that was stupid. I’m sorry.”

Jihoon didn’t move. His face still burned and he couldn’t bring his shoulders to relax.

“Jihoon-ah, look at me,” Soonyoung called as he pulled Jihoon’s hand. Jihoon didn’t budge.

“Look,” Soonyoung reached over to hold Jihoon’s hand with both of his. “While I would’ve loved it if you said yes, I won’t guilt trip you into kissing me. That’s not how I want to do things with you. Don’t apologize. There’s nothing to apologize for. The fall was just an accident. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, and especially not yours.” 

Jihoon glanced back at him. Soonyoung’s lips now had lost all of its mischievous edges, rounding out into a soft, sincere smile. “I’m sorry, so please don’t feel bad, okay?” 

Eventually, Jihoon relented. He nodded and let himself be pulled closer, immensely relieved. Soonyoung’s fingers never stopped gingerly rubbing on Jihoon’s knuckles, and Jihoon let that soothe him— anchor him. He squeezed back.

They stayed like that for a while longer.

“Jihoon-ah?” Soonyoung called softly. Jihoon couldn’t not look up. His head spun.

Soonyoung looked at him like something precious. Jihoon squirmed. He felt out of place, undeserving of such reverence. Yet he couldn’t bring himself to look away, almost too scared that he might never find a way back to this moment. So he stayed, and he grasped Soonyoung’s fingers tightly like a lifeline.

“I really like you, you know?” Soonyoung said, and Jihoon couldn’t breathe. He did know, he realized with a slow blink. Probably since much earlier than he’d like to admit. Soonyoung was never subtle with his affections, but hearing it said to him felt different. 

Soonyoung continued gently, seemingly unaware of Jihoon’s internal crisis. “I felt... oddly reassured today,” he said, “that even if you don’t like me back in that way, at least you still care about me. So thank you.”

“I...” Jihoon started, desperate to find the words. His heart hammered in his chest and his palms started sweating.

“You don’t have to answer me right now,” Soonyoung said, “and please please please don’t feel bad, even if you don’t feel the same way. I understand. I’ll learn to be happy just being your friend.” He smiled again and Jihoon felt too raw, too vulnerable. “I just wanted to tell you. That’s all.”

Jihoon pursed his lips, suddenly a little annoyed. “You— don’t...” he squeezed Soonyoung’s hand tighter. “You’re not playing fair,” he mumbled.

Soonyoung blinked, confused. “You can’t just say that,” Jihoon continued on, “because... I— uh...” his face is beet red and he was avoiding Soonyoung’s increasingly lost gaze.

“I do. Like you too, that is. Uh. I think. Yeah.”

Soonyoung blinked again, very slowly. Then again for good measure.

Jihoon could clearly see the way scarlet blush gradually rose up from his neck, to his cheeks and flooded his ears. “Oh,” Soonyoung mumbled, then just stared at Jihoon, mouth gaping wide.

Jihoon turned even redder, if it was possible, then he let go of Soonyoung’s hand to trap Soonyoung’s face between his palms and squeezed hard. “Say something damn it! That’s it? That’s the only thing you have to say? ‘Oh,’?!” 

“Wait wait wait, sorry! Ow, Jihoon-ah!” Soonyoung squirmed, his yelps mingling with uncontrollable giggles. He didn’t look very sorry at all. Jihoon growled as he stilled, still trapping Soonyoung’s cheeks with a raised eyebrow, as if saying, “explain yourself.”

“It’s— it’s just,” Soonyoung huffed, a wide grin already on his face, “I— oh god is this real? Is this whole conversation some insane fever dream from the meds or something? I just—,” he grazed Jihoon’s fingers with his and his grin turned so, so tender and now Jihoon thought he was the one dreaming.

“Oh my god don’t you dare cry,” Jihoon said, but he knew it was only an empty threat.

“I might,” Soonyoung giggled, “but I won’t, I promise.” He fully covered Jihoon’s hands with his now. “Shit, I really, really want to kiss you now,” he said breathlessly. Jihoon tensed just a fraction.

“Ah, um, it’s okay if you don—“ before Soonyoung even finished Jihoon surged forward, landed square on Soonyoung’s lips, and pulled back almost as quickly.

Soonyoung looked like he was about to catch on fire.

“Hyung, we won the silver medal!” Chan and the rest of the dance crew picked that exact moment to barge into the room, and Jihoon dropped his hands abruptly, suddenly preoccupied with staring out the window.

“We did it, hyung! We— wait,” Mingyu said as he stopped in his tracks, eyeing the two by the bed. “What’s going on here?”

Soonyoung slowly turned his head towards them, wide eyed and his face as bright as a ripe tomato, and muttered, “Jihoonie kissed me.”

The room exploded right there and then.

—

Epilogue

Jihoon was drowning in audio editing one peaceful afternoon, when someone knocked at his door and opened it without waiting for a response. Jihoon prepared to scold whoever it was, Seungkwan, probably, but he was met with... Seungcheol?

More precisely, Seungcheol with an entirely too enthusiastic Soonyoung on his back. His foot was still in a cast, and his hands were waving around his crutches excitedly. Jihoon could only stare.

Seungcheol dropped Soonyoung down unceremoniously on the small couch behind Jihoon. “He’s been too damn antsy and fidgety all morning, and won’t fucking stop whining in the studio,” Seungcheol said, shooting a nasty side eye which Soonyoung easily ignored. “So I’m officially kicking him out before we fall behind our practice schedule any more. I’ll pick him up at eight or nine later. Or you can keep him, just let me know. I owe you one, Jihoon-ah, thanks!”

Just like that, Seungcheol disappeared before Jihoon could utter a single word, only staring at the door.

He turned to shoot a dirty glare at Soonyoung instead. “You do realize this isn’t a daycare, right?”

“Hey, it wasn’t my call. I’m temporarily demoted, remember? I’m not complaining, though,” Soonyoung said, and Jihoon wanted to wipe his shit eating grin on the floor. He decided that it was unfortunately morally unacceptable to beat up sick people, so he settled with a groan instead.

“Alright, fine,” he relented, “but you’re gonna keep quiet and not disturb me, or else I will kick you out. Don’t think I won’t.” He glared, but the threat sounded hollow even in his own ears.  _ I’m getting soft_, he thought.

Soonyoung lifted his hand in a mock salute before he settled back on the couch.

Impressively, Jihoon was able to immerse himself back in his work. It wasn’t until the clock showed 7.30 and he stretched back in his chair before he was reminded again of the dancer’s presence.

“Time for a break?” Jihoon spun his seat around to see Soonyoung reach out a hand towards him. Jihoon sighed, cracked his neck once, and relented as he felt the heaviness in his limbs. 

He got up and dragged his feet to settle down at Soonyoung’s side. He didn’t even bat an eye when Soonyoung wrapped an arm around him.

They stayed there for a while, Jihoon almost dozing off against Soonyoung as he patted his hair softly. Then Jihoon felt his stomach rumble. Soonyoung didn’t seem to notice, but food was now the topmost priority.

“Hey,” Jihoon said, and Soonyoung turned to look at him with a soft smile. Sometimes Jihoon thought that he’d never get used to the way it knocked the air out of his lungs. 

“Let’s go get dinner,” he said instead.  “Oh? Are you asking me out on a date, Jihoon-ah?” Soonyoung said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Jihoon rolled his eyes. “Yes, I am asking you out on a date. Kwon Soonyoung, will you go on a date with me to that ramen shop across the street? How was that? Not enough? Should I hold up a sign like one of those awkward promposals too? If you want a musical number you’re out of luck, though. I don’t actually want to go out with you  _ that _ badly, unfortunately, sorry.”

Soonyoung doubled over with laughter at that and Jihoon couldn’t help but smile too.

“Yes, Lee Jihoon, I would love to go on a date with you. No musical number required. I thought you’d never ask,” Soonyoung said in between giggles.

Jihoon pulled Soonyoung up to his feet (or rather, foot and crutches) before he walked over to grab his jacket from the back of his working chair.

“Jihoon-ah,” Soonyoung called. When Jihoon turned to him he was making a face like he couldn’t decide if he was teasing Jihoon or if he was embarrassed to death.

“Since we’re on a date right now, can I have a kiss?” He asked.

Jihoon blinked, before walking over to Soonyoung and gently pressing a kiss square on his lips. Soonyoung hummed quietly, and it turned into a soft whine when Jihoon pulled away.

“You know you’re my boyfriend now, right? You don’t have to ask every single time if you want to kiss me,” Jihoon said.

“I know,” Soonyoung laughed breathily. “I just still can’t believe it sometimes.” Jihoon smiled back. He understood how that felt.

When Seungcheol came back to the building half an hour later he caught sight of the two of them from the front door. He could see them crammed together by the small ramen shop’s window. The server placed steaming bowls of ramen on the table and they looked perfectly content, perfectly in love. He shook his head and walked away with a smile.

But only after snapping a picture to tease them with later, of course.

**Author's Note:**

> I previously published an unfinished version of this under the title “Here comes the sun, oh shit”  
> I just decided to rewrite it to be better and re publish it in one go. The old version has now been removed from this website.
> 
> Hope you liked it as much as I enjoyed writing it!


End file.
